Unilever Nv

Faberge Inc. said Tuesday it is in preliminary talks to sell its toiletries, cosmetics and fragrances businesses to consumer products giant Unilever NV, a deal that analysts said would be worth more than $1 billion. New York-based Faberge, owned by the E-II Holdings Inc., makes various cosmetic products, including Aquanet hair spray, Babe perfume and Brut cologne. The company, with $1.1 billion in 1987 sales, also owns Elizabeth Arden cosmetics, which is included in the deal.

Anglo-Dutch consumer products group Unilever said it would offload some secondary food and household brands from its Bestfoods North American portfolio in a sale worth about $400 million. The company said names on the block included Mazola cooking oil, Golden Griddle syrup, Henri's salad dressing and some household goods brands, with combined annual sales of around $400 million in North America. Unilever bought U.S.-based Bestfoods for $24.

Faberge Inc. said today it is in preliminary talks to sell its toiletries, cosmetics and fragrances businesses to Anglo-Dutch consumer products giant Unilever NV. New York-based Faberge is a subsidiary of E-II Holdings Inc. The company sells hair-care products, fragrances and toiletries worldwide, and bought Elizabeth Arden cosmetics from Eli Lilly & Co. in August, 1987.

Campbell Soup Co. agreed to buy several of Unilever's sauce and dried-soup businesses for $920 million to expand in Europe and gain such brands as Oxo bouillon cubes. The company also raised its fiscal second-quarter earnings forecasts as much as 10%, although it is keeping full-year projections essentially the same.

Unilever said Wednesday that it will buy Helene Curtis for $915 million in a deal that would add shampoos and deodorants to Unilever's lineup of consumer products and make it a stronger rival to industry giant Procter & Gamble. Chicago-based Helene Curtis, which would keep its name, has two-thirds of the U.S. market for hair-care products, deodorant and skin-care products. Its brands include Finesse, Salon Selectives, Suave and Quantum.

Ben Cohen, co-founder of Ben & Jerry's Homemade Inc., said he will quit the ice cream company unless its new corporate parent Unilever names a co-chief executive steeped in the company's social mission. Unilever rejected the CEO candidate Cohen and co-founder Jerry Greenfield backed for the top spot at the South Burlington, Vt.-based ice cream maker. Cohen and Greenfield still are employed by the company, but they are not involved in its day-to-day operations.

Anglo-Dutch consumer products group Unilever said it would offload some secondary food and household brands from its Bestfoods North American portfolio in a sale worth about $400 million. The company said names on the block included Mazola cooking oil, Golden Griddle syrup, Henri's salad dressing and some household goods brands, with combined annual sales of around $400 million in North America. Unilever bought U.S.-based Bestfoods for $24.

Consumer goods giant Unilever said second-quarter earnings rose 7% to about $695 million, on a 3% increase in sales to $9.86 billion, bolstered by the acquisitions of Ben & Jerry's ice cream and SlimFast diet foods. The Dutch company, whose many brands include Bestfoods, Lipton, Dove and Elizabeth Arden, also said it will realign management into two global divisions, one for food and one for soaps and household products.

Campbell Soup Co. agreed to buy several of Unilever's sauce and dried-soup businesses for $920 million to expand in Europe and gain such brands as Oxo bouillon cubes. The company also raised its fiscal second-quarter earnings forecasts as much as 10%, although it is keeping full-year projections essentially the same.

Ben Cohen, co-founder of Ben & Jerry's Homemade Inc., said he will quit the ice cream company unless its new corporate parent Unilever names a co-chief executive steeped in the company's social mission. Unilever rejected the CEO candidate Cohen and co-founder Jerry Greenfield backed for the top spot at the South Burlington, Vt.-based ice cream maker. Cohen and Greenfield still are employed by the company, but they are not involved in its day-to-day operations.

Consumer goods giant Unilever said second-quarter earnings rose 7% to about $695 million, on a 3% increase in sales to $9.86 billion, bolstered by the acquisitions of Ben & Jerry's ice cream and SlimFast diet foods. The Dutch company, whose many brands include Bestfoods, Lipton, Dove and Elizabeth Arden, also said it will realign management into two global divisions, one for food and one for soaps and household products.

Unilever said Wednesday that it will buy Helene Curtis for $915 million in a deal that would add shampoos and deodorants to Unilever's lineup of consumer products and make it a stronger rival to industry giant Procter & Gamble. Chicago-based Helene Curtis, which would keep its name, has two-thirds of the U.S. market for hair-care products, deodorant and skin-care products. Its brands include Finesse, Salon Selectives, Suave and Quantum.

Faberge Inc. said Tuesday it is in preliminary talks to sell its toiletries, cosmetics and fragrances businesses to consumer products giant Unilever NV, a deal that analysts said would be worth more than $1 billion. New York-based Faberge, owned by the E-II Holdings Inc., makes various cosmetic products, including Aquanet hair spray, Babe perfume and Brut cologne. The company, with $1.1 billion in 1987 sales, also owns Elizabeth Arden cosmetics, which is included in the deal.

Faberge Inc. said today it is in preliminary talks to sell its toiletries, cosmetics and fragrances businesses to Anglo-Dutch consumer products giant Unilever NV. New York-based Faberge is a subsidiary of E-II Holdings Inc. The company sells hair-care products, fragrances and toiletries worldwide, and bought Elizabeth Arden cosmetics from Eli Lilly & Co. in August, 1987.

The company's board of directors has authorized the company to buy an additional 2 million shares of its own stock, bringing the total to 7 million shares, in a continuing attempt to thwart a hostile $1.35-billion takeover by Unilever NV. Richardson-Vicks reported earlier that it had completed the purchase of 5 million shares and that the board had given it permission to buy the additional stock.

Margarine makers have fought unsuccessfully for 50 years to convince dubious consumers that their product tastes as good as butter. And in recent years they've been trying to reverse a sales slide driven by claims that butter substitutes aren't much better than butter for preventing clogged arteries. Margarine makers Unilever NV and Nabisco Holdings Corp.